Tenere 700: Camel Tail Tidy + Custom Fender Insert Incorporating OEM Reflectors to Improve Camel Tail Tidy Stiffness & Functionality

By Mike Mulligan December 11, 2020

Camel Tail Tidy vs oem

It's a fairly well sorted kit, but it can benefit from some mods to strengthen/stiffen it & improve tire spray to the passenger seat & tail area.

Camel Tail Tidy Installation Video

Camel Tail Tidy installed

Custom Fender Insert Incorporating OEM Reflectors

to Improve Camel Tail Tidy Stiffness & Functionality

For use with Camel Tail Tidy & Altrider, or Chinese copy, Luggage Rack with under fender support bracket.

The Camel Tail Tidy is a minimalist design devoid of much fender functionality that could benefit from being stiffer to resist bobbing up/dn (have seen a few reports where it flexed so much that it caught the tire & taco'd up under the fender (Camel has since updated their design adding ribs welded to the bottom surfaces to strengthen). I used 1/8" (3.3 mm) black arena board to make a custom fender insert that bolts to the 4 oem under fender attachment points of the Altrider Luggage rack or Yowling Chinese copy (see Blog Post here) under fender support cross bracket & the Camel Tail Tidy licence plate holder, effectively adding stiffness/rigidity while becoming a functional fender for that area minimizing tire spray & mud from caking up the unprotected underside & wiring & from splashing up onto the bike, luggage or a passenger. I used a heat gun for shaping the arena board.

Most tail tidies eliminate the oem rear & side reflectors, technically making the bike in violation of many vehicle lighting laws. I incorporated the oem reflectors into the design by making an aluminum bracket attached to the Camel licence plate bracket lower mount holes for the side reflectors & extending the fender insert beyond the licence plate bracket & angling it perpendicular to the ground for mounting the rear reflector. This fender insert has added stiffness & functionality to the Camel design, while incorporating the oem rear reflectors, without adversely detracting from the aesthetics of the tail tidy imho.

These pics are of a slightly modified version #2, as the initial version developed some spider cracking at the holes where the fender insert attached to the Yowling Luggage Rack under fender support bracket & the Camel license plate assembly after 5k km. I had forgotten to locktite the 2 bolts attaching the Camel licence plate backing plate to the tail tidy assembly & they had loosened allowing for more flex which added stress to those areas. With version #2 I sandwiched the fender insert between the Yowling Luggage rack under fender support plate & its mounting bracket (version #1 had the fender insert bolted to the outside of that plate) + I formed the arena board to mold around the turn signal mounting brackets with a heat gun, which extend downward slightly, to allow the board to sit almost flush to the Camel licence plate backing plate mount tab, which I had not done with the previous version...now all 4 upper bolts attach to the fender insert adding more rigidity. I also added washers to help reinforce the bolt/hole areas & inserted washers to fill in the small gap between the fender insert & the Camel licence plate backing plate to further minimize stress/deformation to the arena board bolt holes + added bicycle inner tube to the fender insert surfaces that interface with metal mounting points. The entire assembly is now stiffer than the previous version. I also extended & shaped the arena board extension below the licence plate where the rear reflector mounts for improved aesthetics & function.

Version #2